Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and star pacer Jasprit Bumrah have been honoured and named 'Wisden Cricketer of the Year' among five other players, in the 2022 edition of the Wisden Almanack. Besides the Indian duo, Joe Root was named the 'Leading Cricketer of the Year' after a sizzling season in 2021.
Jasprit Bumrah, a self taught cricketer to a great extent, grabbed attention with his unorthodox, sling arm bowling action and a flurry of wickets in his first season of the Indian Premier League. As time went on, Bumrah became an integral part of the Indian squad and built a reputation for his mastery in death bowling, hitting the blockhole and toe crushing yorkers.
The pacer proved to be a paramount asset for the Indian team in last summer's test wins. His bowling figure was 3 for 33 on the final afternoon at Lord's, and he subsequently drove the team to victory. Bumrah took a total of 18 wickets in the four tests against England. It can be said that Bumrah is currently the most valuable bowler for the Indian team.
The newly appointed captain of the Indian men's team, Rohit Sharma, was also honoured by the Wisden Almanack. Rohit Sharma has been a consistent name in the Indian squad since June 2007. Following a hearty season last summer, where he scored a laborious 83 in gruelling conditions in India vs England Test Series. As a result, he was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year.
His performance led the Indian team to a 2-1 win in the series. His series total was 368 runs, higher than anyone else in the Indian team.
Former England skipper, Joe Root, was named the 'Leading cricketer of the year'. Root had a historic 12 months where he scored a total of 1708 runs in a year. The third most in history. Despite his misfiring as a captain, Root played his part as a batter for the England team.
Apart from Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma; New Zealand opener Devon Conway, England pacer Ollie Robinson and South Africa Women's skipper Dane Van Niekerk were also named 'Wisden Cricketers of the Year'
South African batswoman Lizelle Lee was pronounced the 'Leading Woman Cricketer of the Year'. She is known for her hard-hitting batting style and slugging big sixes. She is currently at the top of the ICC ranking and scored a total of 632 runs in the ODI format.